With an all-important decision from a national labour board looming, “frustrated” Canada Post workers kept pounding the picket lines this weekend amid uncertainty over whether and when they’ll go back to work.
“Hold the line 鈥 that’s all I know,” Peter Allyianis, a union steward and a Canada Post employee of nearly 40 years said Sunday afternoon, huddled with a handful of striking colleagues near a burning fire outside the Canada Post processing plant on Eastern Avenue in Toronto.
Confusion has reigned over the weeks-long national postal strike 鈥 which has paralyzed mail and package delivery services during the peak holiday season 鈥 after Canada’s Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon announced Friday he asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to order postal employees back to work, calling the request a “timeout.”
MacKinnon asked the CIRB to assess the likelihood of Canada Post and the union representing 55,000 workers reaching negotiated agreements by the end of 2024. If the board finds that unlikely, employees will be sent back to work as soon as early this week, under the terms of their current collective agreement, which would then be in place until May.
The board is expected to make its decision on Monday or Tuesday. Government sources have said it鈥檚 unlikely the ministry鈥檚 request to order a temporary end to the strike will be rejected.
In a statement released Sunday afternoon, Canada Post said representatives from the Crown corporation and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) participated in a CIRB hearing over the weekend.
“While this process is ongoing, there is no change to the current labour situation and our operations remain closed,” the statement said, noting that details on the postal service’s start-up plans will be made available at once finalized.
“We will notify customers, employees and all Canadians as quickly as possible when it’s time for postal operations to resume,” the statement read.
The postal workers’ union has blasted Ottawa’s move as an “assault” on their right to collectively bargain. On Sunday, the president of the union’s 海角社区官网chapter said there had been a range of emotions in the last 48 hours amongst striking workers.
“Anger, frustration, confusion,” Mark Lubinski told the Star. “They feel they have been betrayed by the government and the minister, and they’re very saddened that they’ve been on the picket line for four weeks.”
Union leaders across the country have been discussing next steps, which could include, Lubinski said, refusing to go back to work, though he stressed he would be taking direction from national leadership.
“Even if the CIRB makes the decision does not mean we will go back to work,” he said Sunday.
A national spokesperson for CUPW did not respond to multiple requests for comment over the weekend.
MacKinnon, the labour minister, has defended his decision to call in the CIRB as a “timeout” to a strike that has had a significant impact on Canadians including on seniors, those who own small businesses or operate charities, and people in remote communities. Stalled alongside holiday packages and greeting cards are “essential” parcels such as medications or official documents, he said.
鈥淥ur priority is to restore postal services while ensuring a fair balance between the rights of workers, those of the employer, but also those of Canadians,鈥 he said in a statement.
Gary Kirk, the owner of the bookshop A Good Read on Roncesvalles Avenue, said he stopped taking orders on his website the minute he saw the strike notice and blames the federal government for not intervening sooner.
Kirk said he does close to a third of his business online at this time of year and that, given the far-flung regions to which he often ships, Canada Post is the only financially feasible option for him.
鈥淚t鈥檚 too late to save my Christmas season,鈥 he told the Star. 鈥淚f they were going to take the political hit for doing it anyway, they might have done it at a time when it would鈥檝e actually helped.鈥
The move by Ottawa came days after another unsuccessful proposal from the union, which had lowered wage demands to a 19 per cent increase over four years from the previous 24. It also included a 20-hour per week guarantee for part-time workers.
The company pushed back on the proposal, saying it would add $2.9 billion to Canada Post鈥檚 costs over the next four years. Management previously said it offered wage increases totalling 11.5 per cent over four years.
On the picket line at the South Central plant Sunday, postal workers strolled Eastern Ave. holding signs, waving flags and soliciting frequent honks of support from passing cars. There’s the occasional jeer to get back to work but it’s rare, said Allyianis.
In the background, hung on the side of Canada Post’s sprawling brick plant, is a cheery seasonal banner featuring Santa and his elf that reads “Delivering the holidays.”
Allyianis said the plan as of Sunday night is to “stand firm” and keep fighting for a contract that allows postal workers to be “treated with dignity.” The 海角社区官网chapter plans to rally outside the offices of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland on Monday, alongside other union groups including the 海角社区官网& York Region Labour Council.
“We’d like to know that the time we spent out here matters,” Allyianis said.
With files from Hayden Godfrey and Josh Rubin.
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